Todd McShay Sends Cincinnati CB Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner to Vikings in 2022 NFL Mock Draft
We're still a ways away from draft season with four weeks left in the regular season and the Vikings in the thick of the NFC wild card race, but it's never too early to start looking ahead to April.
ESPN's Todd McShay released his first 2022 mock draft on Tuesday, and he sent a very intriguing player to the Vikings with the 15th overall pick: Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner.
Here's the explanation from McShay:
It's hard to find another college corner who is trusted on an island in press-man coverage as much as "Sauce" Gardner. The 6-foot-2, 188-pounder's 321 such snaps this season lead the nation by 61. And despite that big ask, Gardner has yet to allow more than 13 yards in a single game this year. (As an aside, I can't wait to see his Cotton Bowl matchup with Jameson Williams, who averages 21.3 yards per catch.) Minnesota's top three cornerbacks — Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland and Mackensie Alexander — are all on expiring deals, and Gardner's speed, ball skills and lockdown traits would help address a pass defense allowing 8.9 yards per attempt (27th in the NFL).
I love it. For starters, I think there's a great chance the Vikings take a cornerback in the first round of the upcoming draft, whether Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer are still running the show or not. It's their most blatant long-term need, with three of their top four corners — as McShay mentions — set to become free agents. Cameron Dantzler is the only young, long-term piece set in place at the cornerback position, so adding a first-rounder with a ton of upside would make sense.
If Spielman is gone, edge rusher could be a possibility in the first round, as the Vikings don't have much young talent there. But Spielman has never taken an edge rusher in the top two rounds in 16 years, so that's not happening if he's still GM. Quarterback and several other spots could also be possibilities as well. Cornerback has to be the favorite at this point, though.
In McShay's mock, LSU's Derek Stingley is the first corner off the board at No. 4 overall to the Jets. Despite not playing much this season and being inconsistent in 2020, Stingley showed enough as a true freshman 2019 that he's highly unlikely to be an option for the Vikings, who will likely be picking somewhere in the middle of the first round.
McShay has the Vikings taking Gardner as the second corner of the first round. There will be a number of players discussed in that mid-first round tier at corner over the next four-plus months, including Clemson's Andrew Booth Jr., Florida's Kaiir Elam, Washington's Trent McDuffie and Auburn's Roger McCreary.
Without having researched these players much, Gardner stands out on name alone. Beyond his sweet nickname, it sounds like he's a phenomenal player who can play press-man or zone, a great athlete with ball skills, and a fiery competitor who brings some swagger to the table.
And unlike most of the other top corners in the 2022 class, Gardner still has at least one more opportunity to stand out against top competition. Cincinnati takes on Alabama in a College Football Playoff semifinal on New Year's Eve, which means Gardner will matchup against one of the top wide receivers in the country in Crimson Tide speedster Jameson Williams. That'll be a must-watch for Vikings fans.
We'll dive headfirst into draft analysis after the NFL season is over, but Gardner is someone to keep in mind going forward.
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